A Message from Associate Commissioner Elizabeth L. Bennett
The CVTE Student Support Grant is now posted! This is a very short window for competitive applications for a start date of July 1. On our next CCTE call, there will be guests from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center about their Vocational Internship Program. See below for more about these and other exciting news. The next call will be on Monday, May 24 at 11:00am and a zoom link will be sent.
Students Received Awards at DECA Conference
Massachusetts DECA members received 168 awards at the virtual International Career Development Conference that ended on May 6. This included 76 student finalists, 38 students in Top Ten in the world, and 8 students bringing home the coveted DECA ‘Glass” for first, second and third places. The objective of Massachusetts DECA is to support the development of marketing and management skills in career areas such as hospitality, finance, sales and service, business administration and entrepreneurship. For more on Massachusetts DECA, see this link.
News & Updates CVTE Student Support—Impact and Recovery Fund Code 433
The purpose of this federally funded competitive CVTE Student Support grant is to support school districts in providing additional supports for students in Chapter 74 programs which will allow them to earn credentials or technical training hour credit that they otherwise would have had the opportunity to earn were it not for COVID-19. It is also intended to allow districts to support students to increase their exposure to hands-on technical training through a summer program since that exposure was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. This is now posted at this link: https://www.doe.mass.edu/grants/2022/433/.
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center VIP
The Massachusetts Vocational Internship Program (VIP) is a workforce development initiative offered through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). This program enhances the talent pipeline for Massachusetts clean energy companies and places skilled labor from vocational high schools in paid clean energy internships during the academic year. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center would like to share this great opportunity for cooperative education students and employers. Please see the attached links. Mass CEC will be guests at the Monday CCTE zoom meeting to answer questions about the program.
Cosmetology News
Recognizing that students in Chapter 74 Cosmetology programs be prepared to serve all clients, the MA VTE Framework for Cosmetology is undergoing significant revisions to include Textured Hair. The MA Board of Cosmetology approved the Draft Revised Cosmetology Framework and praised the team for being inclusive of all people with adding Textured Hair requirements. The Board has followed this lead and is revising the MA Board of Cosmetology Licensing Examination to include Textured Hair.
Soon the team of Cosmetology Subject Matter Experts will travel to Maryland for specialized training, leading to Certification in all aspects of textured hair. The Cosmetology team will receive continued training in July so they will be well-prepared to provide superb, high-quality statewide training to Chapter 74 Licensed Cosmetology secondary and postsecondary teachers in Massachusetts.
Update on Draft Revised HVAC Framework
On Monday, the State Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers met and discussed the Draft Revised HVAC Framework. The Board is requesting that a reference to curriculum guidance language be added. The HVAC Framework Leadership Team and Subject Matter Experts are working with the Board to complete this request. Once completed, the document will be re-submitted to the Board in hopes of approval. Stay tuned for more information in the future.
State Financial Aid Deadline Extended
The Department of Higher Education (DHE) has extended the priority deadline for state financial aid (MASSGrant) from May 1 to Thursday, July 1. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for download at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Students can contact their school counselor for more information, and additional resources to help students complete the FAFSA are available at https://www.doe.mass.edu/FinancialAid/. For more information about MASSGrant, students can also contact DHE’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at osfa@osfa.mass.edu.
Acceleration to College Program for Students Earning the Modified CD
DESE is funding summer 2021 programs at Massachusetts community colleges to help students in the class of 2021 who graduated under the modified competency determination prepare for college-level English and mathematics courses. The goal is to help students transition effectively into and ultimately complete college. These programs will be offered in 14 community colleges across the Commonwealth. Schools that have students who would be interested in such programming are asked to visit https://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=26423 and reach out to the designated contact for their area.
Communications Survey
Clear communication is essential to bring us together and plan for a safe future. DESE is continuously working to improve communication with all those involved in and impacted by our public schools. Please take this two-minute survey to help inform DESE's communication efforts. Thank you!
Safety Corner - from Dave Edmonds, CCTE's Safety Specialist
The next session of The Safety Stop will take place on Thursday, May 27, 2021 and will concentrate on Ergonomics. The session will be led by Dr. Christopher Rennix. Dr Rennix is Professor, and Chair of the Department of Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences, at Keene State University. Dr. Rennix is a retired Navy Captain, having served as an Industrial Hygiene Officer. In 2009, he was awarded a $25 million grant over five years by the Navy to expand the capabilities of the EpiData Center to include the epidemiology and surveillance of communicable and reportable disease, antibiotic resistant organisms, behavioral and deployment health, and occupational and environmental health and the development of computer applications to collect public health data from the field.